Communicating with Families

Two-way communication between the school and the home is vital to student success. Schools should encourage families to attend at least one parent-teacher conference during the school year, according to Epstein's Six Types of Involvement. Teachers and support staff should communicate regularly with families about students via email, telephone, classroom apps, class letters and newsletters. Families also need the opportunity to communicate concerns and issues with educators. Any families with language barriers should have translation assistance. Effective communication ensures that everyone understands school policies and decisions.

School Quick Guides

Select the image to view a PDF version of the document.

Select the image to view a PDF version of the document.

These pages contain summaries of information that schools may use to guide their active and equal partnership with their students’ families. The content is only a summary and we encourage further exploration of the mentioned resources.

Communication Guidelines and Checklist

Created by Margaret Oliver, these handy documents are a good resource to guide you in your classroom communication. Use the checklist and plan as is or make it into something that works for you! All four documents can be found at this link.

This Web site was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, (Award #H027A110111, CFDA 84.027A, awarded to the Ohio Department of Education). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and no official endorsement by the Department should be inferred.